Terrified
by Further Horizons
Summary: Rapunzel is scared in the night and turns to Flynn.


_**Author's Notes: **This one-shot occurs during the scene where Rapunzel and Flynn take refuge in the woods for the night on their trek to the kingdom. I hope you enjoy. Reviews are welcomed._

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_In all her life, Rapunzel had never been more terrified.

Living in a tower for seventeen years had proven to be, perhaps, not such a wise decision on her mother's part. Kept secluded from the world for so long had made her into many things. She was naïve, sheltered, entirely too trusting, and a bit shy - though she was, of course, always excited by the prospect of making new friends. She was also, though, fully creative and very imaginative. She could sew, paint, cook, clean, play the guitar, create pottery, and she also had an affinity for ballet and chess. Her time and talents were something she did not let go to waste.

But all these wonderful talents and abilities couldn't erase the fact that, for seventeen years, she had been completely eradicated from society, had known nothing but the stone, tower walls that surrounded her.

But now that Flynn - err, _Eugene - _had come into her life, he had irrevocably changed everything. He had introduced her into a world that was like nothing she could have ever imagined, and yet was everything she had always dreamed and more.

This world, she was surprised to find, was not so horrible and vile as her mother had so vividly depicted it to be. And yet, even so… Rapunzel found herself scared nevertheless, especially as the night closed in around the two of them like a cold, black blanket and the trees that towered above began to sway and creak in the wind.

The fire had long since burnt away, and now only a few lowly embers burned in the night, creating a flickering, orange glow.

Rapunzel cautiously sat up and pulled her knees to her chest, her eyes wide as she surveyed the night. _There sure are a lot of strange noises out there_, she pondered uneasily, worrying her bottom lip.

She looked across the fire to see Eugene sleeping soundly, the steady rise and fall of his chest somehow a bit soothing. She wondered how he could sleep so easily, his head pillowed against the rock like it was even as the strange noises of the night droned in the distance.

From above, a tree branch suddenly creaked loudly in the wind, and Rapunzel nearly jumped a mile. She looked longingly over at Flynn as her legs shook. She tried to wrap her arms around them to steady herself, but her quaking did not stop.

Slowly, hesitantly, she called out to him, her voice barely audible above the staccato beating of her heart.

"Eugene . . . ?"

Flynn didn't stir so much as an inch, and so Rapunzel called louder. "Eugene?" she tried again, but before he could answer, she suddenly let out a sharp cry when a twig snapped from somewhere behind her.

Flynn was on his feet in an instant, taking a defensive stance as he looked all around, willing his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"Rapunzel?" he called, his voice betraying his urgency.

His eyes fell on her huddled form then, her back pressed against the tree and her knees pulled to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them as if to act as some sort of shield.

"Eugene." She sounded embarrassed as she looked up at him from beneath her lashes, shivering in fear.

Flynn's shoulders visibly relaxed and he stepped towards her, kneeling at her side. "Are you… are you alright?" he ventured, not really sure how he should address the situation.

The young girl shook her head no and buried her head in her arms, feeling embarrassed and ashamed.

Flynn sighed and hesitantly brought up a hand to touch her hair, brushing it off her shoulder. He couldn't help but marvel at how soft and smooth it felt, and he was instantly reminded of its magic and how it had healed his hand.

"Eugene?"

Flynn looked up from her hair and reluctantly let it fall from his hand, staring at her through the darkness.

"Do you… you ever get scared?" Rapunzel swallowed and searched his eyes imploringly, and Flynn, in turn, let out a long, drawn out sigh.

"Sometimes," was his eventual reply, his eyes trailing towards to the ground. "But never for very long. Flynn Ryder doesn't go down without a fight." He smiled, hoping she'd do the same at his joke, but she only curled her arms tighter around herself. Frowning, he shifted closer to her, carefully cupping her face in his hands and forcing her eyes to meet his. "What are you afraid of, Rapunzel?"

"The dark," she answered truthfully, her eyelashes fluttering in her attempt to blink back tears. "I'm afraid of the dark."

At this, a warm, genuine smile crossed Flynn's face. The response to her statement seemed obvious as he gently brushed a stray tear away with his thumb.

"Then I'll be your light."

And with that, Rapunzel willingly let herself be pulled into his arms, in which he held her all throughout the night, keeping her warm, and most of all, keeping her safe.

In the dusk of the morning light, when ribbons of purple, pink, and orange streaked across the canvas of the sky, Flynn managed to tear himself away from her warmth and lay himself down on the other side of the fire pit, if only for the sake of Rapunzel's modesty.

As he lay himself down on the grass and stared up at the sky, watching as the colors of dawn filtered through the leaves of the tress, he couldn't help but think of how scared _he_ really was.

He was scared of Rapunzel, or, more adequately, scared of _losing _her. She had come into his life so suddenly. She had literally knocked him off his feet and now… well, now he didn't know what he would do without her. He had never expected something like this to happen. He thought that… he thought that he might be falling in love with her. And that, that scared him most all.

In fact, in all his life, he had never been more terrified.


End file.
